Whitetail Deer Hunting 2020

 

Coyote from my Bloomfield trail camera

Cleaning my muzzle loader

Jessica & Charlie cooking venison ribs

An unique year 2020, in so many ways, including deer hunting.  There were no big bucks taken but it was a memorable one.  This was the first season of my retirement and I certainly enjoyed the flexibility of hunting whenever I wanted to.  Tracy and the kids got me a Ten Point crossbow for a retirement gift.  From November 1st till opening day I hunted with the crossbow sitting in Dave’s stand overlooking the Krause property pond.  Beautiful place to sit as you could watch all the life that displayed itself in and around the pond.  I watched suckers feed along the shoreline, lots of ducks and herons.  I also saw at least 5 bucks that were 8-12 points.  On opening day of crossbow I counted 13 bucks in all.  I had a shooter buck emerge on the north end of the stand but he spotted me immediately and took off.  I realize that as he was on a hill, and I was at the bottom of the hill in a tall stand, that my silhouette was like a bright neon sign.  After that I put a curtain around the stand.

Mr. Flanagan by new stove

.30-.30 hit #2 at BIG BUCK

.30-.30 hit #1 at BIG BUCK

Overlooking Krause pond

This year our gun inventory expanded.  My Uncle Cam sold me a .30-30 and a 20 gauge.  Tracy decided she wanted to go hunting for the first time so she used the 20 gauge.  On opening day she and I sat together at the Bloomfield property with Jessica sitting in her usual stand. At dawn a couple does and a 3 point came out immediately east of Tracy.  I told her to lift her gun up and get ready as a bigger buck may be falling them.  Sure enough this large 10 point came out and stopped 30 yards from us.  I was so pumped as I watched Tracy staring down through her scope at it.  After 4-5 seconds the deer ran off and Tracy set her gun down.  “What happened?!?” I exclaimed.  She said she could not find the trigger hammer...after much grief from me she said...”I don’t see what the big deal is, we’ll just shoot the next one that comes bye.”  Clearly a funny memory for both of us.  Jessica saw a ton of deer.  She shot at a ten point but nailed a doe that got in the way of the shot.

The next day I went back to the same stand I was at the day before.  After three hours I stood up to stretch and turned around in my stand looking towards the park.  Coming at me was largest antlers I have ever seen.  An absolute giant of a deer.  He stopped at 25 yards and I put the cross hairs on him.  I shot and he bounded away with me thinking he was not running like he had been shot.  I got out of the stand and walked to where he stood when I shot.  There was no sign that he had been hit.  How could I have missed a deer that close?  I looked back to the stand where I had shot from and my heart sank.  I saw a small tree cut in half by a slug.  Okay, I thought, I still must have hit him.  Then my heart sank further as I saw a second tree that was tore up from a direct hit of a bullet!!  I looked all over and there was no sign that I had hit the deer.  At first I was very upset as I probably will never have such an opportunity again in my life.  Than I thought the odds of me missing that deer were so slim that God must have wanted that deer to live another day.  It was a true blessing that I was able to be so close to such a magnificent deer.

Hedges Pond

Tracy and I on Opening Day

Other highlights of the season....we employed a European meat hanging technique (episode 227 Red Cutter) that I had learned about from a Meateater, Steve Rinella, podcast.  We used it on a large older doe Dana had taken at his new property.  Dana reported the venison from this deer was terrific.  Charlie joined us for his first year of hunting.  He successfully harvested a button buck on the Krause property.  Dave had more trouble with his gun this year.  For example, he was on our driveway aiming his gun at a doe in the field when he exclaimed, “Where is my trigger?!?”. His trigger had fallen out of his gun.  I have never seen that happen before.  Our newest member hunting camp, Drew, shot two large bucks on the Krause property.  One with a bow and one with a gun.

Looks like this could be our last year on the Krause property.  Nice memories.